Spark arrester



April 4, 1939.

c. H. GoRMLl-:Y SIVARK ARRESTER Filed June 4, 1957 uvenrova. CLAENoL-tHozmusv Bv 06M TrogNEY Patented Apr. 4, 1939 PATENT OFFICE SPARKARRESTER Clarence H. Gormley, Farmington, Mo., assigner of one-half toGeorge A. Rickus, Farmington,

Application June 4, 1937, Serial No. 146,338

4 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in spark arresters for chimneys.

It is a well known fact that the screened spark arresters such as nowused on chimneys for the '5' purpose of preventing live sparks fromblowing out onto the roof are defective in that the screen rapidlybecomes clogged up with soot and prevents the free escape of the smokewith a resulting loss in draft. It is the main object of my invenl' tionto provide a spark arrester which is simple and inexpensiveinconstruction and which includes means for keeping the screen free ofsoot at all times without attention from the owner.

Another object is to provide a spark arrester of this kind including arigid center post and a drum-like screen journaled to turn freely on thepost and over the chimney so that all smoke flowing from the chimneymust pass through the screen, there being `a wind vane attached to thescreen so as to cause it to rotate around the cen ter post as the windchanges its direction, and brackets supported by the post and carryingtoothed cleaner bars which will mesh with the screen as it turns and,penetrating the screen, will keep the same from clogging up with soot.

With these and other objects in view the in,- vention resides in thenovel construction and arrangement of parts as hereinafter fully setforth and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing asshowing a preferred embodiment of my invention for purposes ofexemplication.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical cross section through my spark arrester asmounted on a chimney.

Figure 2 is a plan View. y

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmental perspective View of one cleaning rackand the screen.

In carrying out my invention I provide a center post 5 adapted to besupported rigidly and vertically above a chimney A in any suitablemanner as by means of a mounting plate 6 to the center of which the postis secured by means of a neck 'I so that as the plate is laid flat onthe top of the chimney the post will stand upright as shown. 'Ihemargins 6a of the mounting plate 6 are then bent downward over the sidesof the chimney and tie wires 8 are secured to ears 9 struck up from theplate and run down to a wire |0 which is secured around the chimney andholds the. plate in place. Of course this mounting may be varied asnecessary to fit different types of chimneys. The plate 6 has aperturesII so that the smoke may pass freely from the chimney.

The spark arrester screen I2 is of cylindrical (Cl. 18S-52) shape madeup of screen wire or other foraminous material secured at the ends I3 toupper and lower end frames |4-I4a which each include the outer rim I5and inner hub I6 connected by spokes I 'I. The hubs I6 are journaledfreely on the cen- 5 ter post and the whole assembly is supportedagainst axial displacement by a hanger or bearing bracket I8 secured tothe upper frame I4 and having a center aperture I9 registering with theupper end of the center post 5, A bearing ball 20 10 is seated in asocket 2| in they upper end of the center post and fitting partiallyinto the aperture I9 supports the screen assembly while permitting it toturn freely. The center post 5 probably lwould be tubular and the ball20 would rest in l5 the open upper end though of course a solid postcould be used with a socket for the ball as described. The parts are soarranged that the lower end of .the screen I2 just clears the mountingplate 6. A wind vane 22 is secured b-y brackets 20 23 to the upper frameI4 and extends radially outward from the screen so as to catch the windand cause the screen to turn as the wind changes direction.

A pair of bracket frames is provided and formed 25 up from bar or stripmaterial bent to provide short mounting portions 24, and outwardlyturned lower arms 25. which terminate just inside the lower end of thescreen I 2. Upper arms 26 are eX- tended vertically up inside the screenand spaced 30 therefrom, these arnrs being supported by the lateralreaches 2'I and the arms terminating in radially and outwardly turnedfingers 28. The mounting portions 24 are secured on opposite sides ofthe center post by bolts 29 to rigidly sup- 35 port the bracket arms inthe stated positions. Baiiie plates 30, 3| and 32 are supported betweenthe upper arms 26 by ears 33 turned downwardly at their margins andsecured to the arms by screws 34. The upper and lower baiiles 36 and 3240 are solid flat disks of a diameter just fitting inside the arms 26while the center baffle 3| is larger, is notched out at 35 to clear thearms and has a large center aperture 36 which however is smaller thanthe upper and lower baies.

It will now be understood that the smoke flowing from the chimney A willenter the screen I2 and be deflected by the baiiles 36, 3| and 32 outthrough the screen so as to prevent the escape of any sparks. Howeverthe screen would soon become clogged with soot and the draft would begreatly reduced.

To prevent this I provide the screen cleaning means now to be described.The extremities of the arms 25 and the fingers 28 have apertures 31 56and mounted vertically between these parts parallel to the screen I2 arethe cleaning bars, racks or grates 38 which have the reduced trunnions39 at their ends journaled in the apertures 3l. These bars 38 have therows of radially extended teeth 40 of outwardly tapering shape andsquare cross section which are placed in mesh with the screen. That is,the teeth 4U are arranged and provided to penetrate the spaces 4lbetween the wires 42 which form the screen as shown in Figure 3. Now asthe screen l2 turns about the center post 5 under the influence ofchanging wind directions the cleaning bars 38 will be rotated and theteeth will work and penetrate through the Vscreen punching all particlesof soot outward so that it falls clear o the screen. This action assuresthat the screen is clean atall times. of the cleaning bars may be usedby arranging more bracket arms to support them. The actual penetrationof the screen by the teeth is important since in no other way can thescreen .be absolutely cleaned and brushes and scrapers are ineffectivesince they only brush around the in.- terior of the screen.

While I have herein set forth a certain preferred embodiment of myinvention it is understood that I may vary from the same in minorstructural details so as best to provide a practical device for thepurposes intended, not departing from the spirit of the invention andwithin the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:V

1. In a device of the kind described, a center post, means for mountingthe same vertically atop Y a chimney, screen frames journaled invertically spaced relation on the center post, a bearing bracket on theupper screen frame, a bearing ball journaled between the bracket andupper end of the center post, a cylindrical screen extended between thescreen frames, upper and lower arms extended rigidly from. the centerpost, cleaner Of course more than two bars journaled vertically betweenthese arms and extended parallel with and inside the wall of the screen,and teeth radially extended from the cleaner bars in mesh with thescreen.

2. In a device of the .kind described, a center post, means for mountingthe same vertically atop a chimney, screen frames journaled invertically spaced relation on the center post, a bearing bracket on theupper screen frame, a .bearing ball journaled between the bracket andupper end of the center post, a cylindrical screen extended between thescreen frames, upper and lower arms extended rigidly from the centerpost, cleaner bars journaled vertically between these arms and extendedparallel with and inside the wall of the screen, teeth radially extendedfrom the cleaner bars in mesh with the screen, and baiiles extendedhorizontally between the said upper arms,

3. In a device of the kind described for mounting over theV top of achimney, a center post, means for mounting the post rigidly andvertically atop the chimney, a cylindrical screen journaled co-axiallyover the post and adapted to rotate about the same, vertically spacedframes secured rigidly to the center post within the cylindrical screen,the frames being extended laterally, cleaning bars journaled in theouter lportions of the frames parallel with and inside the cylindricalwalls of the screen the same being anchored against circumferentialmovement around the center post though rotatable upon their own axes,teeth radially extended from the cleaning bars y and arranged in meshwith the apertures of the screen, and a wind vane mounted so as torotate the screen as the vane turns with the wind, whereby the teeth ofthe cleaning bars automatically operate to keep the apertures of thescreen open and unclogged. Y

4. In a structure as dened in claim 3, bailles arranged within thecylindrical screen.

CLARENCE H. GORMLEY.

